Russell Martin admitted his side’s 6-0 thrashing at the hands of Club Brugge in their Champions League playoff second leg was “humiliating” as pressure mounts on the Rangers boss.
The Scottish club, who had Max Aarons sent off inside 10 minutes in Bruges, crashed out 9-1 on aggregate as goals from Joaquin Seys (2), Nicolo Tresoldi, Hans Vanaken, Aleksandar Stankovic and Christos Tzolis compounded what has been a miserable few weeks for Martin and his team.
Rangers are now without a win in three matches in all competitions, with Martin’s future at the club looking increasingly in jeopardy ahead of Sunday’s Old Firm derby against Celtic, who themselves suffered humiliation in Europe this week after they were eliminated by Kazakhstan club Kairat on penalties.
“I’m extremely hurt. It’s humiliating,” Martin said after the game. “I have nothing to say really other than to apologise to the supporters for what went on tonight.
“The basics just hurt us. So much self-inflicted pain, last week and today, that’s just so avoidable. Our response to it, as a group right now, is nowhere near good enough. So I’m very sorry for that.
“We have to make sure we respond properly on Sunday [against Celtic].”
The Rangers boss also revealed that “lots’ had been said by the players in the dressing room at full-time and insisted the squad is in need of some “real leadership”.
“There was lots said in the dressing room between the players,” Martin added.
“The level of help they give each other at times is just not enough. A lot of the players spoke up and said their piece to each other.
“We’re going to need some real leadership now, some real togetherness to make sure we can put in a performance that makes everyone feel much, much better.
“There’s nothing I can say now that will make anyone feel any better. We have to make sure we go and prove we want to create something here [at Rangers] and be a proper team.”
